Prolonged treatment of hirsutism with flutamide alone in patients affected by polycystic ovary syndrome

Hirsutism is a common symptom of women affected by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The effectiveness of the antiandrogen flutamide alone was studied in 25 patients affected by PCOS with severe hirsutism for a period of 24 months. Seventeen of these patients had not been treated before and eight had had previous but unsatisfactory therapy. Nineteen patients showed a normal body weight (BMI 35 kg/m2). A chemical and endocrinological evaluation and an assessment of the degree of hirsutism, assigned by Ferriman–Gallwey score (mean 22 ± 3.038), was performed under baseline conditions. Patients started treatment with flutamide (Eulexin®, Schering–Plough, Kenilworth, USA) at the dose of 500 mg daily. A chronobiological assessment of gonadotropin episodic secretion and of gonadotropin response to GnRH challenge (10 µg in bolus) was done before and on day 7 of flutamide administration. During treatment, our patients showed a marked and significant reduction of hirsutism ...